I find hope in the darkest of days, and focus in the brightest. I do not judge the universe.

— Dalai Lama

Breathing in meditation

Submitted by RagsToRich on Mon, 2009-11-16 09:31
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The importance of correct breathing is typically under-valued in western culture. Correct breathing in meditation is used for focus, but in general correct breathing can also be instrumental in emotional control and good health. The very word breath is often synonymous with the word spirit in many languages other than English.
 
A good friend of mine once noted to me that although correct breathing is barely discussed in mainstream materials, the correct ways of eating and exercising receives a huge amount of attention. Yet of these three things breathing is by far the more integral to our immediate survival.
 
Yoga provides a good popular example of an alternative to the mainstream perspective on the breath. In yoga the importance of correct breathing is so highly valued that there is a whole system of exercises based around the breath called Pranayama.

These exercises are intended to control energy in the body, called prana. They are not only excellent for improving breathing but also for improving meditative focus. They range from relatively basic, to extremely complex.
 
In some ways prana in general can be considered the yogic version of chi. However with respect to pranayama, particularly at a basic level, it may be useful to understand prana as purely the breath. The word ayama means to control, therefore pranayama means to control the breath.
 

Breathing in Meditation

 
In meditation it is usually recommended that one employs deep breathing – this involves long breathes which are taken into the lower lungs. The lower diaphragm will expand outwards as the air enters your lungs – this is opposed to your chest lifting upwards which is how many people breath incorrectly. When deep breathing correctly in this way the solar plexus should expand outwards.
 

In performing deep breathing I have found that it is best not to focus too hard on getting the practice exactly with right. As with most things, just a little guidance and occasional observation is enough to improve your ability with this over time.

Correct posture can have a significant effect on your ability to breathe, particularly with respect to capacity. Ideally the back should be straight, either straight up or lying straight down, and the diaphragm should be completely unrestricted - which means no tight trousers or belts.

In practice this isn't always comfortable and in my opinion there's little wrong with meditating in slouched positions; it's just not considered ideal for deep breathing. Likewise deep breathing on a full stomach is considerably more difficult than doing it on an empty one.

It is often recommended in meditation practice that in-breaths should be taken through the nose and out-breaths through the mouth, other times it can be that breaths in and out are done entirely through the nose. Personally I have not noticed a great deal of difference between these two methods so I would recommend using whatever you are comfortable with.
 
I would recommend that any major problems you have with correct breathing are corrected independent of meditation practice, not while you are meditating. That is, during meditation you should not much consider your breathing technique at all but instead just let yourself breath comfortably. 
 
At other times you can practice your breathing to ensure you have it correctly for when you meditate; and to improve your breathing in day to day life.
 

Pranayama - The Breath of Fire

 
Pranayama exercises are a great way to not only practice breathing, strengthen your diaphragm and expand your lung capacity, but also to experience some of the very real effects which manipulating your breath can have on your physiology.
 

One such example to try would be the Breath of Fire (Agni-Prasana) which involves a full exhale, and then panting with short in and out breaths for several minutes. This technique is a fascinating process which works very well when combined with mindfulness meditation in cleansing the body and the mind of certain kinds of emotional or bodily pain.

There's no harm in giving this a go right now. The major precautions to be aware of are to avoid hyper-ventilation and also to avoid injury to the diaphram through excessively violent breathing - however it's much more likely that first-time practicers will employ breaths that are too weak, not too strong. 

Just take things cautiously at first as you follow the below steps:

1. Sit in a chair with your feet flat on the floor and your back straight.

2. Take two long deep breaths allowing the lungs to fill and deflate fully.

3. Take one more deep breath, this time filling the lungs completely but not exhaling.

4. Breathe out quickly forcing the air from your lungs using your abdominal muscles.

5. Without a pause breathe in quickly using the same muscles. Focus on the centre of your navel. You can do this either through the nose, or through the mouth. In formal pranayama when done using the mouth the tounge is held flat and relaxed out the mouth. The effect is a little like a panting dog.

6. Place as much emphasis on the in breath as the out breath.

7. Continue for 1-5 minutes. If you feel yourself getting lightheaded you should stop immediately, take one deep breath, and wait until the feeling dissipates before performing breath of fire again.

8. If you feel no effect at all then consider increasing the volume or speed of your panting.

9. Before beginning breath of fire again take several slow deep breaths to avoid the potential problems of hyper ventilation.

This technique can have many benefits, including grounding energy, clearing the mind, improving focus, strengthening the diaphragm, etc.

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This was awesome. I didn't

Submitted by Jake (not verified) on Fri, 2010-01-22 19:25.

This was awesome. I didn't know prana was related more to breath. Cool

Re: Breathing in meditation

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 2011-01-04 23:38.

Hello- Can you recommend a mediation tape that would help to improve lung capacity. My mother who is 88 suffers from a pulmonary lung disease(the doctors don't really know how she got the disease)however she coughs alot and produces alot of phelgm - I was wondering if you could recommend a meditation tape for her to reduce the cough and help to increae her lung capacity.
 
Thanks.
 
Cathy Fitzpatrick

Re: Breathing in meditation

Submitted by RagsToRich on Sun, 2011-02-20 19:34.

Hi Cathy,

Why specifically are you looking for a "meditation technique" for this problem? Meditation is, in theory, a purely mental process with purely mental results (concentration, insight, etc.) Anything physical which comes from the process is a by-product. Good breathing is useful for good meditation form, but a good breathing ability does not necessary come from meditation practice.

I think what you should look for instead is some sort of breathing excercise - for which you'd need to seek out someone who knows a lot on the subject. I don't know anything about it.

Be extremely wary of anyone who tries to tell you that meditation is an effective way of increasing lung capacity...

What I can recommend though is that you, instead of looking at relief or treatment for the lungs, look into improving the air quality in your mother's home.

Think about things like lots of plant life, make sure she opens the windows regularly to let the air circulate from outside, vacuum regularly (including curtains etc..), etc. It's simple stuff, but honestly if you don't do it then houses can be dusty and the air can be thick and difficult to breath without you realising because you (or, her) are unintentionally acustomed to it.

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